Tuesday, September 30, 2014

When life throws you challenges, learn how to adapt. After taking a plunge off of a six-foot deck, this versatile pup is learning how to get around without the use of his front paws. Who wants to write an encouraging message on one of his casts?

Monday, September 29, 2014

You don't need to be classically beautiful to be a star. RescuecatLazarus was born with a cleft palate. The physical deformity leaves him without the appearance of a nose and overexposes his lower teeth, but he still manages to charm thousands of fans onVine. According to Lazarus' official Facebook page, he was found at only 10 weeks old by a student at East Tennessee State University. Although the sickly kitten suffered an infection in his mouth, caretakers soon nursed him back to health.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Scientists say two new animal species discovered off the Australian coast in 1986 have the potential to "reshape the tree of life." A study inscientific journal PLOS ONEdescribes the mushroom-shaped organisms for the first time since their discovery. Although the organisms, known as Dendrogramma enigmatica and Dendrogramma discoides, resemble extinct forms from more than 600 million years ago, scientists have not classified them into an existing animal group.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

The photobomb is more than a quick and easy prank — it's a work of art. They've also become the norm in the Insta-era. It's hard to watch someone snapping a photo in your general vicinity without attempting to ruin it with your awkward face — evencats are getting in on gag.Cats are often considered serious creatures, but these perfectly timed photobombs reveal the funny side of their sneakiness.http://tinyurl.com/lpds46p

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

From running a search enginetogame strategies, we all know that humans can take some notes from the animal kingdom. Here’s another lesson that wildlife can teach us: recycling. While we’re still figuring out how torecycle right, some animals have already mastered the eco-friendly practice. Click through for five of the planet’s most amazing recyclers. http://tinyurl.com/khbp7cm

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Malaysia's tigers have all but disappeared, and poachers from nearby countries have pushed them to the brink of extinction, according to a new report. A four-year study of the country's big cats—the first scientific count ever conducted—discovered far fewer tigers than previously estimated, reporting as few as 250 left in the wild. Previous estimates had the country's tiger population between 500 and 1,500.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Want to buy Temptations' newest cat treats and throw them at your cat? Better stretch out first, man. The Mars Petcare brand just rolled out new Temptations Tumblers—treats that are apparently more perfectly spherical that regular old Temptations treats. ("Now you can roll, toss or bounce delicious treats for your cats," the brand says.) And so, in the 60-second spot below, cats "play ball" with them, Nike style, in pretty hilarious fashion. The ad will, of course, get billions of views. But really, how is there not a Tumblers Tumblr?

Friday, September 19, 2014

Honey Bee is a sweet, blind cat who traverses the wild like a feline
Davey Crockett. She was discovered in Fiji, where local veterinarians at
Animals Fiji nursed her back to health. Now, Honey Bee
spends her days wandering along hiking trails with her owners.
Sometimes she perches atop their backpacks for a quick break; other
times, she stops for a snack and some water. Above, watch her head up
for a hike along Mason Lake in the mountains near Seattle, Washington.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

An adorable baby elephant narrowly escaped death when it was rescued from the bottom of a well in Africa. The heartwarming survival tale began when a heroic herder discovered
the poor exhausted creature — malnourished and covered in bruises — in
Kenya, Caters News reported. The quick-thinking local called Kenya Wildlife Service staffers, who
rushed to the stranded creature’s aid before flying it in a small plane
to a wildlife rescue center in Nairobi. “The little elephant was exhausted and after feeding, promptly
collapsed and slept,” said Rob Brandford, director of the David
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

New York Times best-selling author Seth Casteel is back with a second photography book full of our doggy paddling pals, but this time the stars are miniature. Underwater Puppies, a successor to his 2012 book Underwater Dogs,
is the product of swimming lessons Casteel says he gave to more than
1,500 pups. Although dogs are instinctive swimmers, he writes on his
website that since swimming pools are not natural bodies of water, it's
important that the dogs are taught taught how to get safely out of
pools. Many of the little ones had never swum before, and the pictures showing their excitement are making a serious splash.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

If you were one of the world’s rarest and most endangered bats, where
would you choose to live? Perhaps in a remote forest or woodland? Nah, if you’re a Florida bonneted bat, you’re going to Miami. And
just like thousands of snowbirds that flock to the city on Biscayne Bay,
you like to hang out at the golf course. Only an estimated 500 of the bonneted bats are left—no one knows for
sure how many—and they are scattered around six South Florida counties.
The small and high-flying bats have long eluded biologists' attempts to
capture them or even discover where they roost.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Taking a perfect selfie is difficult. Between the angle, filters, lighting and endless facial expressions
you can make, it can be tough to hone each variable for the ideal
photograph. Before throwing your phone in frustration, take a tip from the animal kingdom. You don't need opposable thumbs to take a selfie, and these creatures are here to prove it.http://tinyurl.com/qdgoakd

Friday, September 12, 2014

The largest predatory dinosaur to walk this earth wasn’t the T. rex. It was Spinosaurus aegyptiacus,
a 50-foot long creature with powerful jaws and a solid, spiny sail on
its back that dwelled in Northern Africa 95 million years ago. But even
though paleontologists have known about this particular dinosaur for
almost a century, its true form has only just been revealed.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Most animals don’t live long enough to experience the debilitating
effects of old age. But some critters survive for decades, and one in
particular, the thick-billed murre, manages to grow old without losing its physical prowess, scientists have found. The research could shed new light on the aging process in other wildlife—and perhaps in primates such as humans. The murre inhabits the far northern reaches of the globe and spends
as much time in Arctic waters as it does in the air, diving to depths of
300 feet or more and swim through the sea to hunt fish and other prey.
Murres can live 25 years or more, and while scientists from Canada and
France discovered that the birds do slow down with age, they don’t lose
their diving ability.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

For years we’ve been hearing reports of elephant
poaching in Africa, but a new study has put a number on the problem.
Between 2010 and 2012, poachers slaughtered 100,000 pachyderms across
the continent.The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
is the first to scientifically measure the number of elephants killed
across Africa. Researchers counted killings in a Kenyan park and used
other data to estimate deaths in other regions. They found that the
percentage of elephants killed illegally has increased from 25 percent
of all pachyderm deaths 10 years ago to about 65 percent today.

Monday, September 8, 2014

A baby elephant put on quite a show for visitors at a rescue facility in Chiang Mai,
Thailand, recently, but she has more to celebrate than playtime. The five-year-old pachyderm, named Faa Mai, was filmed swinging and twirling a blue ribbon.“You can almost hear giggles emanating from the gigantic grin on her face, safe and without a care in the world,” wrote The Huffington Post.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

The Oregon Supreme Court this month issued two landmark rulings
that gave animals protections previously reserved for humans. Now
police can intervene without a warrant to save an abused or neglected
animal from its owner. Animal abusers are also subject to harsher punishments. “As we continue to learn more about the interrelated nature of all
life, the day may come when humans perceive less separation between
themselves and other living beings than the law now reflects,” wrote
Oregon Justice Martha Lee Walters in one of the decisions. “However, we
do not need a mirror to the past or a telescope to the future to
recognize that the legal status of animals has changed and is changing
still.”http://tinyurl.com/nahl2yw

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Two-week old Douglas was in bad shape when he arrived at the
Chipembele Wildlife Education Centre in Mfuwe, Zambia. More than a year
later, thanks to his two canine companions, he’s ready to go back to the
wild. Rescuers found the abandoned baby hippo near the Zambezi River in May 2013. He was then helicoptered to the center, where he was nursed back to health.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

The sight of two suffocating turtles, on their backs with fins tied
up, horrified tourists on Little Corn Island, Nicaragua. Thanks to their
quick thinking, the animals were returned safely to sea. A video posted on YouTube Monday shows tourists
rescuing two loggerhead turtles, each weighing about 250 pounds. Chris
Skone-Roberts, a professional rescue diver and former paramedic, first
spotted the reptiles. When he tried to douse them with water, a woman
angrily pulled him off—claiming they were hers. It’s presumed that once
the turtles suffocated to death, she would have sold their meat on the
black market.